FOI reveals compensation for Victoria’s new police chief, head-hunting cost

A contract obtained through a freedom of information request lays out the compensation for Victoria’s new police chief.

Victoria’s incoming police chief has secured a salary nearly $53,000 higher than her predecessor.

CTV News Vancouver Island has learned Victoria Police Department (VicPD) Chief Fiona Wilson is earning $350,000 annually.

The now-expired job posting for the role listed a salary range of $270,000 to $310,000.

“We offered a salary commensurate with the experience of the incoming chief,” Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board Chair Micayla Hayes said in an interview on Wednesday.

Outgoing Chief Del Manak earns $297,250 a year, VicPD said.

“The last chief will leave thinking, ‘Oh, I didn’t make that much money,’ but that’s the name of the game,” said CTV public safety analyst Chris Lewis.

While the department provided the salaries of the incoming and outgoing chiefs, it declined to share Wilson’s contract and the expense receipts from the search firm that helped hire her, “given the privacy considerations of the candidates and the incoming chief.”

CTV News obtained the contract and receipts through a freedom of information request.

The five-year agreement lays out compensation outside of Wilson’s salary, including a $20,000 lump sum for moving expenses, seven weeks of vacation, and an unmarked vehicle that can be used in her personal time.

“It’s important that the public understand where their money is going,” Lewis said.

The contract says Wilson is considered to be on-duty most of the time, and is on call 24 hours a day.

“Police chiefs need to be well-paid,” said Lewis, who is a former commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.

“They have a huge impact on public safety and their decisions can ultimately change the face of the judicial process and government relations in the city.”

Wilson is on the job with Manak until he retires on Aug. 31. She’s declining interviews until the department’s change of command ceremony on Aug. 28.

Wilson, a former deputy at the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), is the highest-paid municipal police chief on southern Vancouver Island. Saanich’s chief earns $290,572, while the chiefs in Central Saanich and Oak Bay earn $251,912 and $228,552, respectively.

“Policing is competitive at all levels. The board is thrilled to have brought in such a dynamic and well-respected chief, and we’re comfortable with the salary,” Hayes said.

“There’s no question in the board’s mind that we made the right selection.”

In 2024, Wilson’s gross compensation as a Vancouver deputy totaled $370,329 according to the VPD’s executive remuneration list. That includes payouts such as those for unused vacation.

“She ultimately could have been chief potentially in Vancouver and made a heck of a lot more, so why not pay her the proper amount?” Lewis said.

Chief search cost $82K

VicPD’s board hired head-hunting firm Pinton Forrest & Madden (PFM) to conduct a national search for its next top cop.

The search cost taxpayers $82,021. PFM had a base fee of $60,000 and $22,021 in food, travel, and accommodation expenses for the candidates, VicPD said.

Candidate names are redacted from the expense documents, which include receipts for travel on BC Ferries, HeliJet, and mainline airlines.

The candidates stayed at various hotels during the search, most of which cost roughly $300 a night.